To Flintlock or not to Flintlock . . .

[bigbadben]

. . . that is the question.

Hey guys,

I've been over on the general muzzleloading page working with some guys to help me get started on getting into traditional muzzleloading. I've settled on getting a Lyman GPR and am pretty much ready to go.

But I'm still on the fence about whether to get a flintlock or a percussion. Clearly I want a flintlock because I've always been fascinated with them. But here's the concern. Being a father and a businessman I don't honestly have as much time to go to the range as I would like. Twice a month is kind of typical for me. And, I plan to hunt with this thing. So I need something that I can realistically expect to go bang when I need it to. Now, I've never shot a flintlock, so I don't have any sense of how hard they are to work with, etc., etc. I don't want to get a gun that I don't have enough time to make work well and end up not using.

So whadaya think? Am I just going to drive myself crazy with a flintlock? Or is it just that if I'm careful, buy a good gun and good flints, etc., that it wouldn't be that much more work to make reliable?

Thanks,

Ben

 

[szihn]

Well keep in mind that you don't have to fire balls to get used to the flash. You can do drills in your own home by priming the pan and doing dry-firing.
That's somethign that helps you overcome the "shock" of the flash in front of your face, until your subconscous understands it's not going to hurt you, and you don't flinch from it.
I have no knowledge of the Lyman flint locks personally, but I have been told that they are reliable but slow compared to a good custom made rifle. So doing some practice with it can't ever hurt.

I would have to just put it out as a queston to those reading......... "are they slow or not"?
SZ

 

[bigbadben]

Thanks Steve,

Slow I can probably work with. Of the three types of shooting I'm better at shotgunning than anything else (which is not to say that I'm a great shotgunner). So I have a pretty good sense of staying on target and swinging through, which I assume is how one accomodates for a slow lock time.

But reliable is what I really need. I need a gun that I can get to where I know it will shoot pretty much every time. (Understanding that no muzzleloader shoots quite every time.)

Ben

 

[MikeFromON]

Like I said in another thread, it took me about 15 shots to get the bugs ironed out and get my technique down pat. That could be one range visit for you. Since then I have fired nearly 100 shots and had perhaps 5 or 6 misfires, only one of which required me to pull the ball. The others I simply re-primed the pan with a double load of 4f, wiped the flint clean and she went off perfectly. Most misfires occur because of something very simple, as in "doh" simple. Honestly, I can't really understand the allure of the percussion rifle. If you are going to use a cap like that, why not just get out your centrefire and shoot that? The flintlock is a real step back (actually it's like 3 steps back) in time technologically and mastering the shooting technique so that I could get it to fire reliably gave me a great feeling of accomplishment. There is something deadly romantic about the click and the shower of sparks and that little puff of smoke right in front of your face :grin: .

 

[xbowman]

GOTTA love this Forum!!! :hatsoff:

 

[bigbadben]

Thanks Mike,

I think I will go with the flintlock. This whole thing about getting a traditional gun was about getting a traditional gun after all. And . . . no guts no glory.

Besides, Midsouth now has them in stock. So here goes nothing.

BTW -Is "MikefromON" short for Ontario? In a few weeks I'm going to be hunting up that way. I'm going to a preserve called Kenauk. It's actually in Quebec, but you could throw a rock and hit Ontario from it. Word is they have good deer there.

Ben

 

[Alberta Black]

Hi Ben

Like yourself I was a little skeptical about this flintlock thing when I got my first flintlock Pedersoli Frontier) a few years ago. Now i expect the gun to fire everytime just like any other gun I own and feel very comfortable taking it on any hunting situation.

Learn how to load your rifle properly and you will have little trouble.

I have an Investarms Hawken style flintlock that has the same lock that is on the Lymans GP and I find that it is a little slower than my Pedersoli
and does require a little more attention but it is reliable.

have fun

AB

 

[sniper68]

Clearly I want a flintlock because I've always been fascinated with them.

Ben, I think you answered your own question. Good luck with your purchace. You'll get all the help you need on the Fouum.
Enjoy; Jim

 

[Mike Brooks]

So I have a pretty good sense of staying on target and swinging through, which I assume is how one accomodates for a slow lock time.

Shouldn't be an issue with a high quality lock and gun.

 

[No Deer]

If a flintlock is what you really want, you would not be happy with a caplock. Get to know your gun and you will be fine with it.

I fully expect mine to go off everytime, and am surprised when it doesn't. Usually when it doesn't it is because I need to clean the flint and frizzen with my thumb, next click is followed bya boom.

 

[renovato]

Ben, I'm a newcomer to flintlocks, myself. I read a bunch of the posts here and got a good feel for what works and what doesn't, how to prime properly, pick the charge, etc.

I bought an Austin & Halleck flinter simply because it was 1/2 price. I've only been out with it 3 times so far, but I have only had 1 misfire and that was my fault. There was some crud building up in the vent hole. I've loved every minute of my flint shooting so far, and from what I've seen so far, a flinter can be quite reliable.

I don't know about the GPR in flint specifically, but I know the GPR is a very good gun and I haven't heard any complaints about the flintlock version. In fact I have heard very few complaints of any kind about the GPR. I think I'd trust it on general knowledge of it's quality. These fellers can always help you tune it to get the best performance from it.

 

[Old Ironsights]

No reason not to get a Flinter.

Even if you are like me and an afficianado of the Non-PC Stainless & Plastic, good Flinters are to be had.

Mine always goes Boom. Not Ftz-boom but Boom.

Here's a secret to practicing Flashing the Pan:

Use Evil Substitutes. Yep. Powder some Shockey/APP in a mortar & pestle and use it to test flash. It has 2 main advantages:

#1: You can do it indoors without smelling up the workshop.

#2: It has a higher ignition temp than real BP, so if you can get it to flash consistantly (actually more of a Foosh!) your lock will have ZERO problems flashing real BP - which is all you should be shooting.

In any case, there is no reason NOT to get a flinter. I should know. I went straight from Inlines to Rocks and (with very specific exceptions) won't turn back.

 

[Brasilikilt]

Well keep in mind that you don't have to fire balls to get used to the flash. You can do drills in your own home by priming the pan and doing dry-firing.

SZ

My wife would FLIP if I set off priming charges in our place!
It's safer and smells much better if you would do it in the back yard

 

[netoleon]

There appears to be an opening for a "Devil's advocate" here...

I actually bought a percussion GPR after my custom-made Flinter. It wasn't because of any negative Flint experience, and I wasn't specifically thinking about reliability either. I was thinking that I'd like something more convenient, yet traditional (no modern/inline blasphemy) for Deer season that year. The GPR in percussion is a pretty simple machine, real easy to clean, and I've only ever misfired off a bad cap (but YMMV). While a GPR is only a reasonable facsimile of a replica Hawken, there were a lot more Hawkens made (especially the half-stocks, like the GPR) with a cap lock. I love my Flinter and it'll always be first among all of my guns. But I'm afraid it's just not as compatible as the GPR with a time-challenged modern world lifestyle (yeah, I've got that too....damn!).

Bonne Chance!

 

[RickD]

I found if anything the flintlock has made me hold on target longer after firing..I find I`m a better shot because of it..Does that make sense?

 

[Old Ironsights]

My wife would FLIP if I set off priming charges in our place!
It's safer and smells much better if you would do it in the back yard

See my post above. Lock Testing with APP is a pretty safe bet.

Stuff's useless for anything else, but good for lock testing.

 

[Birddog6]

Everyone keeps talking about the "Flash" ??

What flash ? :hmm:

Forget about the lock, concentrate on the Sights & target & that is all you will see........ :thumbsup:

 

[trent/OH]

I bought a percussion pistol awhile back. At the September shoot at friendship I taught youth to shoot with the NMLRA's percussion rifles.
I can truthfully say that I find percussion guns to be more frustrating than flinters. They shouldn't be, but to me they certainly are.
I urge you to go flint. If someday you feel you need a change, then go matchlock.

 

[renovato]

I found out something funny about firing priming charges indoors. My dogs absolutely hate the smell of black powder. As soon as a whiff wafts over to them, they both get up, give me a dirty look and walk out of the room.

 

[grapeshot]

You might find this link useful:
[url] http://members.aye.net/~bspen/flintlockfaq.html[/url]